Threat to pets: These fruits can cause acute kidney failure in dogs and may cause kidney failure in cats and ferrets as well. While not all dogs and cats will develop kidney failure, it’s impossible to know which pets will be sensitive to these fruits. Therefore, all pets—especially dogs—that ingest grapes, raisins, or currants should be monitored closely and treated appropriately. If a small dog or cat eats just a small number of grapes or raisins, this is considered an emergency.

Signs: Vomiting within a few hours of ingestion is typical. Within one to four days of ingestion, pets may experience increased urination, increased thirst, lethargy, and a reduced appetite.

Treatment: Induce vomiting and then administer activated charcoal to decontaminate (adsorb and remove toxins). Follow up by administering anti-vomiting medication and aggressive intravenous fluids to protect the kidneys. Frequent monitoring of kidney laboratory values and in-hospital care are also recommended.

Prognosis: Excellent if animals are treated before signs begin. Once they have begun to go into kidney failure, the prognosis becomes much worse.

Caffeine

What it’s in: Caffeine is most commonly found in coffee, coffee grounds, tea, tea bags, soda, energy drinks, and diet pills. Theobromine—a cousin chemical to caffeine—is also found in chocolate (see chocolate).

Threat to pets: Pets are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than people. While a couple laps of coffee, tea, or soda won’t poison most pets, the ingestion of moderate amounts of coffee grounds, tea bags, or one to two diet pills can easily be fatal in small animals.

Treatment: Induce vomiting and then administer multiple doses of activated charcoal to decontaminate (adsorb and remove toxins). Administer aggressive intravenous fluids to help with excretion, sedatives to calm the pet, specific heart medications to reduce heart rate and blood pressure, anti-convulsants for seizures, and antacids for stomach discomfort and diarrhea. Because caffeine may be reabsorbed across the bladder wall, a urinary catheter or frequent walks are needed to keep the bladder empty.

Prognosis: Excellent in pets with mild signs, such as slight restlessness or a minimally elevated heart rate. Poor in those with severe signs, such as collapsing and seizures.

Chocolate/Cocoa

What it’s in: When it comes to chocolate, dark equals dangerous. That’s because the darker the chocolate, the larger the amount of theobromine—a cousin chemical to caffeine—it contains. Thus, baker’s chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa powder, and gourmet dark chocolates are more toxic than milk chocolate. White chocolate has very little theobromine and will not cause poisoning in pets.

Threat to pets: The dose ingested determines the danger. Pets that ingest a few M&Ms or a bite of a chocolate chip cookie are unlikely to develop chocolate poisoning.

For milk chocolate, any ingestion of more than 0.5 ounces per pound of body weight may put dogs and cats at risk. Ingestions of more than 0.13 ounces per pound of body weight of dark or semi-sweet chocolate may cause poisoning. Almost all ingestions of baker’s chocolate can result in poisoning and are considered emergencies.

Very young pets, geriatric pets, and animals with underlying disease are at a higher risk for poisoning than healthy, adult dogs and cats. Due to the large amount of fat in chocolate, some pets may develop pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) after eating chocolate or baked goods containing chocolate (see fatty foods).

Treatment: Induce vomiting and then administer multiple doses of activated charcoal to decontaminate (adsorb and remove toxins). Administer aggressive intravenous fluids to help with excretion, sedatives to calm the pet, specific heart medications to reduce heart rate and blood pressure, anti- convulsants for seizures, and antacids for stomach discomfort and diarrhea. Theobromine may be reabsorbed across the bladder wall so a urinary catheter or frequent walks are needed to keep the bladder empty.

Prognosis: Excellent in pets with mild signs, such as mild stomach upset or slight restlessness. Poor in those with severe signs, such as collapsing and seizures.

Xylitol

What it’s in: Xylitol is a common sugar-substitute used in sugar-free chewing gum, breath mints, candies, and baked goods. It’s also found in some smoking-cessation products like nicotine gum. Xylitol can be purchased in bulk for cooking at home, and because of its dental plaque fighting properties, nontoxic amounts can be found in some pet oral-care products.

Threat to pets: Xylitol may cause a life-threatening drop in blood sugar and can cause liver damage to dogs. Cats and people do not experience this problem. The typical dose needed to cause poisoning is at least 0.05 grams per pound of body weight.

The average piece of chewing gum or breath mint contains between 0.22 to 1.0 gram of xylitol. Thus, a 10-pound dog would only have to eat one piece of gum to achieve a potentially toxic dose.

The amount of xylitol typically found in most pet oral-care products is very small and, when used properly, these products aren’t expected to cause poisoning unless a dog ingests a very large amount.

Prognosis: Excellent when the ingestion is caught early and blood sugars are monitored frequently. Guarded if the pet has already begun to develop liver failure.

Onions, garlic, chives, and leeks

What they’re in: The small amount of garlic sometimes found in dog treats is unlikely to be harmful to dogs. However, if cats or dogs ingest a tasty pan of sautéed onions, garlic, or leeks, poisoning may result. The ingestion of large amounts of garlic pills or powder may also cause poisoning. Garlic was once thought of as a “home remedy” for flea infestations; however, it has been shown to be ineffective and is not recommended by Pet Poison Helpline.

Threat to pets: These vegetables can cause red blood cell destruction (specifically, Heinz body formation) and result in anemia. Ingestion of onions or garlic greater than 0.5 percent of a dog’s body weight is potentially toxic. For example, this equates to a 30-pound dog ingesting about 2.5 ounces of onion or garlic. Cats and Japanese breeds of dogs (Akita, Shiba Inu) are even more sensitive to the effects of these plants.

Threat to pets: The dark, warm environment of a pet’s stomach acts as an oven and encourages the dough to continue rising. This can result in a bowel obstruction or a bloated or distended stomach. The stomach may then twist, leading to a gastric dilitation and volvulus (GDV). This is a life-threatening situation that requires emergency abdominal surgery and treatment for shock. As the yeast ferments in the stomach, it releases alcohol, which may lead to alcohol poisoning (see alcohol).

Treatment: Induce vomiting if the dough was recently ingested. To stop the rising of the dough, a cold-water gastric lavage may be performed. Aggressive intravenous fluids and dextrose (sugar), abdominal surgery, warming measures, and in-hospital monitoring may be needed.

Prognosis: Excellent if decontaminated soon after ingestion and the appropriate care is received. Poorer in cases of severe alcohol poisoning and bloat or GDV.

__________________

Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, throughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming --- 'WOW, WHAT A RIDE!!!!' " - Author Unknown

What it’s in: Alcoholic drinks aside, alcohol can be found in some surprising places. Rum-soaked cakes or candies and dressings containing alcohol may be poisonous to pets. Alcohol is also a major byproduct of ingested yeast-bread dough (see yeast-bread dough).

Threat to pets: Even small amounts of alcohol, especially when ingested by small pets, can cause life-threatening toxicity.

Threat to pets: Fatty foods may cause pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) when ingested, especially by dogs. Certain breeds, miniature Schnauzers in particular, are more likely to develop pancreatitis than other breeds.

Signs: Delayed onset vomiting one to four days after fatty meal ingestion, abdominal pain, diarrhea (with or without blood), reduced appetite, and lethargy.

With all the potentially toxic people foods out there, it’s helpful to know which are safe for cats and dogs. Here are some Pet Poison Helpline-approved foods, which are both safe and low-calorie options for pets.

Pet Poison Helpline is a service available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary team members who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet and can provide treatment advice for poisoning cases of all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals, and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline’s fee of $35 per incident includes follow-up consultation for the duration of the poisoning case. It is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at petpoisonhelpline.com.

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, throughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming --- 'WOW, WHAT A RIDE!!!!' " - Author Unknown

Seems strange that fats would be a problem to a healthy dog. I was always under the impression it was dogs not used to fat that weren't prepared to digest it that was the problem (ie dogs fed ol' roy). My skinnies (whippets) get fat drippings when ever we have them. That and they eat raw so they are well equipped to digest fat. Otherwise all the raw fed dogs would have lots of pancreatitis as well as people who supplement with oil. And don't forget the thousands of dogs who eat grain free foods (which often have fat contents up in the 16% range or more)

Also why doesn't the high acidity of the stomach kill the yeast? I mean it stops fermenting significantly below a pH of ~4 and stops all together at about 2.7 if I remember correctly. A dogs stomach when in the presence of food has a pH of 1-2 so shouldn't be a problem unless the dog already had issues.

interesting point
ANYONE w/ a high amount of corn in their diet has higher rates of tooth decay & early onset diabetes. likewise dogs fed the crap foods which are mostly corn have problems w/ tooth rot and early onset of geriatric illnesses. so why is popcorn an approved snack?
also it is my understanding the "toxin" in garlic, onions etc is destroyed by cooking and the danger is only in uncooked & undercooked items.
the PRIMARY dietary causitive factor in heat casualties for dogs is LACK of fat in their foods.
Dekka
very informative post on the yeast/dough issue

serious investigation into the origin of this site is definitely in order, i am suspecting petaphiles.

Seems strange that fats would be a problem to a healthy dog. I was always under the impression it was dogs not used to fat that weren't prepared to digest it that was the problem (ie dogs fed ol' roy). My skinnies (whippets) get fat drippings when ever we have them. That and they eat raw so they are well equipped to digest fat. Otherwise all the raw fed dogs would have lots of pancreatitis as well as people who supplement with oil. And don't forget the thousands of dogs who eat grain free foods (which often have fat contents up in the 16% range or more)

I raised my eyebrow at fat too but I assume they put it on there in the assumption that the dog is getting fed some commercial food as well as the fatty people foods in addition. In other words, they're getting too much fat, which leads to obesity and related health problems.

The guide isn't written with raw feeders in mind. They're a minority in the pet owner population and the majority of the end readers would benefit from having fatty foods on the list.

Quote:

Also why doesn't the high acidity of the stomach kill the yeast? I mean it stops fermenting significantly below a pH of ~4 and stops all together at about 2.7 if I remember correctly. A dogs stomach when in the presence of food has a pH of 1-2 so shouldn't be a problem unless the dog already had issues.

Yah but it doesn't go straight from the mouth to the stomach, there're various mucous membranes along the way.

Anyhow it's not saying the yeast are the problem, just that bread with yeast in it could cause problems. Stomach acids would kill those yeast on the outside of the dough ball but the insides would be protected for a time.

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Fats don't harm dogs. Funny thing is that on their "approved list" there is not one single food that is appropriate to feed your dog.

No where on there does it say they're appropriate to feed your dog, just that they're safe. Don't try to read too much into it, it's just saying "if your dog wharfs down a buncha blueberries, it's not going to die." The low-calorie bit could suggest consumption, I reckon, but that's probably more along the lines of "this doesn't contradict the fat suggestion from earlier."

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serious investigation into the origin of this site is definitely in order, i am suspecting petaphiles.

Lol, seriously? It's one of the more respected veterinary news websites. The veterinarian who wrote the article is cited in the original article. You can take it up with her.

__________________

Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, throughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming --- 'WOW, WHAT A RIDE!!!!' " - Author Unknown

I give my dogs carrots, green beans, lettuce, squash, cucumbers, avocados, broccoli, lima beans, etc, and they never have a problem with them. Ozzy loves frozen broccoli and he will beg for lettuce when I am making a salad.

Does that mean that stuff is bad OR good for them? No, but it can't hurt them, and its fine as a treat. They aren't on raw, and I figure any snack that's healthy is better than feeding them fatty treats and milk bones.